Meet London’s new rap sensation and villainous trailblazer: Denzel Himself

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Impressions are everything, and London rapper Denzel Himself makes one hell of a first impression. By pouring a hefty shot of Hardcore influence into his own Hip-Hop cocktail, Denzel achieves a sound that feels to be somewhere in between Tyler, The Creator and Death Grips – one that grabs you by the collar and drags you the hell in.

A self-proclaimed auteur – Denzel Himself is seated firmly in the pilot’s seat when it comes to his art. Looking at his latest track and video, “BANGIN’”, for example, we see that Denzel has taken on the roles of producer, composer, director and, of course, performer. The result is an audiovisual assault, complete with dirt-stained teeth, drool, booming bass, and eerie lyrics, like, “Cult shit for the ones who ain’t follow one”. Or, put more simply, a badass track underlying some twisted-ass visuals.

Denzel Himself does everything but fuck around, successfully carrying out a litany of different roles all at once – especially that of the villain.

Digging a little further back into Denzel’s work, it’s obvious that he’s been on his creative grind for a minute now. Tracks like “Thrasher” and “State Ya Claim/Cherry” are rife with charisma, and show a good measure of restraint to give you the chance to breathe after going on the thrill ride that’s “BANGIN’”.

It seems well-worth keeping an eye on this U.K. trailblazer, even if he incites the occasional urge to look away. A full-fledged artist disguised as a rapper, Denzel Himself avoids tedium like the plague; or considering the dirt in his teeth – like a toothbrush.

When Jon isn't writing about music, he's making music that he wishes someone would write about. His idol is Donald Glover, for both talent and facial hair based reasons. Jon is also a contributor for The Miami Hurricane.